Raiders on top as sectional champions

Three championships in the regular season would be more than enough for some boys basketball programs across the state of Indiana but for Class 2A No. 2 South Ripley, that trio would be a distant memory without a sectional title in the postseason.

No need to worry. A place in program history was forever etched on Saturday night and a magical season for the Raiders continued as South Ripley upended No. 14 Southwestern 75-60 to claim the Class 2A Sectional 45 Championship in Hanover. It is South Ripley’s first crown since 2017 and the 10th in program history.

“I couldn’t be more happy for these guys,” South Ripley head coach Seve Beach said, who won his first sectional as a head coach. “They put everything else aside and put the team first to get us where we are at this year. For them to check off this ultimate goal and cut down nets in March is something that we talk about and will remember forever.”

An extremely physical affair on Saturday night never phased South Ripley’s offense which fired on all cylinders from the get-go, eventually paving the way for a season-high 12 3-pointers made. That blitz began with Chancie Volz hitting two trifectas and brother Drew Volz matching the six point total as the Raiders got out to a 15-13 start and the Volz brothers’ assault continued in the second quarter as the duo combined for three 3-pointers and 11 points. Blaine Ward’s triple and a three from Landon Werner added to the cause and just like that the green and white had put together an 18-6 run and led 33-19 at halftime.

But that doesn’t mean Southwestern would go quietly into the night. Despite trailing by nearly 20 points in the third quarter, the Rebels (18-6) took swing after swing at the Raiders, pulling within eight points going into the fourth quarter and dwindling the deficit to five points on two occasions in the fourth period. But with every punch thrown by the host school, the Versailles crew landed as big of a blow and ultimately delivered a haymaker late.

Two three-pointers off the bench by South Ripley freshman Eli Gilpin were crucial in the third quarter along with five points apiece by Ward and Cole Henry. Henry went into complete takeover mode in the fourth quarter, dropping 14 points which was paired with six points by Drew Volz to clinch the championship.

Drew Volz, a sophomore, was named Sectional 45 MVP, highlighting a quartet of Raiders who were named to the All-Sectional Team. Volz put in 19 points on Saturday night, adding on to a stellar effort from the semifinals on Friday night. Other All-Sectional selections for the Raiders were Henry, Ward and Chancie Volz.

Henry led all scorers with 23 points, 19 of which came in the second half. Ward and Chancie Volz each added 12 points. Southwestern’s Landon Kidwell had 19 points, Caleb Goode scored 17 points and both Brady Cook and Braxton Lewis contributed 10 points.

South Ripley punched its ticket to the championship game on Friday night with a dominant 65-39 victory over Brown County. The Raiders, who never trailed in two sectional games, led by double-digits in the first quarter and never looked back. That included a 19-5 run in the fourth quarter as several Eagle turnovers translated into Raider points, a common theme throughout the entire semifinal matchup.

Drew Volz and Henry each scored 13 points for the Raiders and Gilpin’s 11 points for the game saw 10 of those points come in the second quarter. Ward and Bryson Sipples followed with nine points apiece. Brown County (6-17) was led by Cash Harden’s 14 points, 12 points from Eli Harden and 10 points by Quentin Bell.

South Ripley (23-1), now has the second-most wins for the program in a single season. The Raiders are set for a Saturday night clash at Seymour for the Class 2A Regional Championship, taking on unranked Forest Park (18-6) at 7 p.m.

Forest Park, the alma mater of South Ripley head coach Seve Beach, defeated Evansville Mater Dei 69-67 in the Sectional 48 Championship. The Rangers enter as defending regional champions.

CLASS 2A SECTIONAL 45 CHAMPIONSHIP
at Southwestern (Hanover)
NO. 2 SOUTH RIPLEY 75, SOUTHWESTERN 60
SR – 15. 18. 18. 24. – 75
SW – 13. 6. 24. 17. – 60

SOUTH RIPLEY (23-1) – Cole Henry 23, Drew Volz 19, Blaine Ward 12, Chancie Volz 12, Eli Gilpin 6, Landon Werner 3, Bryson Sipples 0, Dylan Jessee 0, Blake Gunter 0, Mason Bascom 0.
SOUTHWESTERN (18-6) – Landon Kidwell 19, Caleb Goode 17, Braxton Lewis 10, Brady Cook 10, Adam Traylor 3, Jeter Chatham 0, Andrew Nussbaum 0, Caleb Seals 0, Turner Trapp 0.

3-Point Goals – SR 12 (C.Volz 4, Henry 2, Ward 2, Gilpin 2, D.Volz 1, Werner 1), SW 6 (Cook 2, Goode 1, Kidwell 1, Lewis 1, Traylor 1). Total Fouls – SR 18, SW 16. Free Throws – SR 15-21, 12-18. Fouled Out – None.

CLASS 2A SECTIONAL 45 SEMIFINALS
at Southwestern (Hanover)
NO. 2 SOUTH RIPLEY 65, BROWN COUNTY 39
BC – 9. 11. 14. 5. – 39
SR – 21. 12. 13. 19. – 65
BROWN CO. (6-17) – Cash Harden 14, Eli Harden 12, Quentin Bell 10, Jesse Hubbard 3, AJ Bell 0, Billy Hubbard 0, Noah Lewis 0, Drake Wilkerson 0, Logan Sallee 0.

SOUTH RIPLEY (22-1) – Drew Volz 13, Cole Henry 13, Eli Gilpin 11, Blaine Ward 9, Bryson Sipples 9, Chancie Volz 5, Blake Gunter 4, Landon Werner 1, Dylan Jessee 0, Brogan Buchanan 0, Ethan Schmaltz 0, Mason Bascom 0.

3-Point Goals – BC 4 (C.Harden 2, E.Harden 2), SR 6 (Gilpin 2, D.Volz 1, Ward 1, Henry 1, C.Volz 1). Total Fouls – BC 17, SR 12. Free Throws – BC 9-12, SR 11-19. Fouled Out – BC: E.Harden.